Murree school van fire claims life of second child from same family

MURREE: A second child from the same family has died after suffering severe burns when a school van caught fire following an accident in Murree, bringing the number of young siblings killed in the incident to two.

Arham, who was critically injured in the accident, died from his injuries after his sister Ayesha, 14, succumbed to burns sustained in the same incident. Ayesha had suffered burns to 42% of her body and died during treatment at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

Arham laid to rest

Arham’s funeral prayer was held in his ancestral village and was attended by social figures, district officials, local residents and a large number of citizens. The atmosphere was sombre, with mourners grieving the deaths of the two siblings.

Arham was later laid to rest amid the tears and prayers of family members and other mourners. The deaths have left the family devastated and cast a pall of grief over the area.

Van carrying 10 children catches fire

The school van went off the road and caught fire on Tuesday morning while transporting children to three schools. According to District Police Officer Raza Tanveer Supra, the incident occurred at around 7:15am after the vehicle apparently suffered brake failure and went out of control before catching fire.

The Suzuki Bolan/Carry was carrying 12 people — the driver, a helper and 10 children from different age groups. Parents had arranged the vehicle locally to transport children from one village to government and private schools.

The driver and local residents helped evacuate the children, while police and Rescue 1122 personnel shifted the injured to hospitals.

Investigation into cause continues

The DPO said brake failure was the initial assessment, while an inquiry committee was investigating the incident to determine its exact cause.

A preliminary report, however, attributed the fire to sparking from the vehicle’s battery and noted that the van did not have a fire extinguisher. The report identified the vehicle as a 2006-model Suzuki Carry/Bolan and recommended a detailed technical and mechanical inspection.

Four children who suffered burns covering more than 25% of their bodies were referred to a burn unit in Rawalpindi, while two children reportedly escaped with no significant injuries and six others sustained burns covering less than 10% of their bodies.

Police are treating the incident as an accident while also investigating whether negligence contributed to it. Authorities have ordered traffic and district police to conduct joint inspections of school vans and public transport, focusing on overloading, vehicle fitness, route permits, drivers’ licences and unsafe gas cylinders.

The investigation is expected to determine whether mechanical failure, negligence or any traffic violation contributed to the accident and subsequent fire.